ASX-listed Latin Resources has announced it will start exploration work on its lithium projects, held by its wholly-owned Brazilian subsidiary Mineracao Ferro Nordeste, in the Jequitinhonha valley region of Minas Gerais.

The assets collectively represent 11 tenements named the Salinas lithium project, which is believed to host several pegmatites and spodumene occurrences.

The region hosts the Eastern Brazilian pegmatite province and is also home to lithium developer Sigma Lithium. Sigma is now in the pre-construction stage of its large-scale lithium concentration commercial production plant in Minas Gerais.

Latin Resources notes the Jequitinhonha valley is a highly underexplored region that currently contains 100% of the official lithium reserves of Brazil.

The company has appointed local geologists to carry out field work to define drill targets on the Salinas tenements. This while geologists completed significant field work on the tenements in 2019, in which they located several occurrences of spodumene never previously known or reported.

Latin Resources says focus will be now be given to the well advanced spodumene tenure, which will allow the company to rapidly drill test any potential lithium deposit and advance to Joint Ore Reserves Committee (Jorc) compliancy.

Meanwhile, Latin Resources says the joint venture (JV) between itself and Integra Capital is progressing well and that exploration work in the Catamarca province will start in the next quarter.

Integra will spend up to $1-million under the JV, which will underpin an aggressive exploration programme on the Catamarca concessions, with the initial aim of delivering a maiden Jorc resource.

Following the release of a maiden Jorc resource on the projects, the JV focus will turn to project development, including feasibility, engineering and metallurgy studies to produce a lithium spodumene concentrate.

Latin Resources has already developed a high-level scoping study with consulting engineers Primero Group for the Argentinian lithium assets.

Under the JV, Latin Resources will be free-carried through initial exploration with financing for the construction of the processing plant to be in line with percentage ownership between Integra and the company of the project partnership at the time of a final investment decision.